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Minnesota Ballet facts for kids

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The Minnesota Ballet is a special ballet company and a school in Duluth, Minnesota. It started in 1965 as the Duluth Civic Ballet. Two people, Donna Harkins and Jan Gibson, founded it. Over the years, the company grew a lot. It now travels to perform and has seventeen professional dancers. Karl von Rabenau became the Artistic Director in 2019. The Minnesota Ballet began its 54th season in 2019/20.

How the Minnesota Ballet Started

Before the Minnesota Ballet, Donna Harkins taught ballet in Duluth. In 1965, she created a ballet show. It featured local dancers who were not yet professionals. The show was very popular. People in the Duluth area wanted to support the young dancers.

In December 1965, twenty ballet fans formed a board. Jan Gibson was their first president. They created the Duluth Civic Ballet. Their goal was to teach ballet. They also wanted to use local students to form a performing group. The first budget for the ballet was $1,000.

The Minnesota Ballet started touring internationally in 1995. Their first international show was in San Salvador, El Salvador. Since then, they often perform their Nutcracker show in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Minnesota Ballet also brings its shows to other cities in Minnesota. They also visit other places nearby.

Learning Ballet at the School

The School of the Minnesota Ballet offers many classes. These range from Pre-Ballet to Ballet VII. They also have training for future professionals. Students can learn pointe, jazz, modern, and tap dance. The school also has special creative movement classes. These classes are for students with special needs.

Each year, students can try out for The Nutcracker. This gives them a chance to dance with the professional company. The ballet company also has a community program. It helps introduce ballet to children all over the region.

Meet the Artistic Team

The Minnesota Ballet has a talented artistic team. These are the people who guide the dancers and shows.

Karl von Rabenau: Artistic Director

Karl von Rabenau is the Artistic Executive Director. He grew up in Duluth. Karl started his ballet training at the School of the Duluth Ballet. This school is now the Minnesota Ballet. He continued his training at other famous schools. These included the San Francisco Ballet School.

Karl joined the Boston Ballet II and then the main Boston Ballet company. He later danced with the Omaha Ballet. In 1988, a famous dancer, Patricia Wilde, invited him to join the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. He toured with them to Taiwan. Karl danced his last 10 seasons as a soloist with the Milwaukee Ballet. He performed many important roles. He danced in works by famous choreographers. These include George Balanchine and Alvin Ailey.

Jennifer Miller: Ballet Master

Jennifer Miller is the Ballet Master for the Minnesota Ballet. She joined the team after almost 30 years with the Milwaukee Ballet. She was a Principal Artist there. This is a very high level for a dancer.

Jennifer has danced in many famous ballets. These include Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. She also performed in Romeo and Juliet and Giselle. She danced in works by many great choreographers. These include George Balanchine and Antony Tudor. In 2005, Jennifer danced for the Trey McIntyre Project. She performed at big dance festivals.

Lila Ann Coates White: Artistic Associate

Lila Ann Coates White is the Artistic Associate and Principal Teacher. She is from Kansas City, Missouri. Lila danced with the Minnesota Ballet for six seasons. She stopped performing in 1993. Then she started teaching and creating dances.

The 2018–19 season was her 25th year as Principal Teacher. Lila has created dances for the school. She made a "Tribute to the School" for 36 students. This was for the Ballet's 50th Anniversary Gala. She has also taught classical dances to advanced students. An example is "Kingdom of the Shades" from La Bayadère.

Amazing Choreographers

Choreographers are people who create the dance moves for a ballet.

George Balanchine

George Balanchine was a very important choreographer. He was born in Russia in 1904. When he was 29, he came to the United States. He helped start the School of American Ballet in 1934. He co-founded it with Lincoln Kirstein.

On October 11, 1948, The New York City Ballet began. Balanchine was its main choreographer. He worked there until he passed away in 1983. Balanchine changed classical ballet. He mixed his Russian style with American influences. This created an exciting and lively dance style.

Antony Tudor

Antony Tudor was born in London, England, in 1908. His original name was William John Cook. He changed his name after working with Dame Marie Rambert. In 1939, he moved to New York City. He helped start the Ballet Theatre. This is now the American Ballet Theatre.

Tudor was the main choreographer for American Ballet Theatre for ten years. He created dances that showed deep emotion. He used the whole body to express feelings. He also paid great attention to small details in his works.

Penelope Freeh

Penelope Freeh is a guest choreographer at the Minnesota Ballet. She was a member of the James Sewell Ballet in Minneapolis for fifteen years. Penelope has won several awards for her dancing and choreography. These include a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship in 1998. She also received a McKnight Fellowship for Dancers in 2003.

What the Company Performs

The Minnesota Ballet performs many different ballets. Their shows range from 1965 to today. Here are some of the ballets they have performed:

Company Dancers

Here are some of the dancers who performed with the company in 2018–19:

  • Emma Stratton
  • Naomi Doty
  • Brennan Benson
  • Branson Bice
  • Charles Clark
  • Sam Neale
  • Brigid Duffin
  • Sarah Gresik
  • Brianna Crockett
  • Daniel Westfield
  • Tyler Piwowarczyk
  • Eric Pagnano
  • Sarah White
  • Rachel Fuchs- Senior Apprentice
  • Payton Kline- Senior Apprentice
  • Erin Haebig- Apprentice
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